VIKING GAS TRANSMISSION CO
gas_transmission Incident — — March 8, 2021
Incident Information
| Incident Date | March 8, 2021 |
| Operator | VIKING GAS TRANSMISSION CO |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 44.74302, -90.71917 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | THREADED CONNECTION/COUPLING FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $292,000 |
| Emergency Response | $5,000 |
| Other Costs | $130 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON MARCH 8 WHILE COMPLETING A SECURITY PATROL, LEAKING GAS WAS IDENTIFIED FROM UNDERGROUND, NEAR MAINLINE VALVE 2229. THE PIPELINE PRESSURE WAS REDUCED TO 80% OF THE OPERATING PRESSURE OF WHEN THE LEAK WAS DISCOVERED. ON MARCH 9, THE OPERATIONS TEAM DECIDED A STOPPLE WOULD NEED TO BE INSTALLED ON THE MAINLINE TO ISOLATE THE VALVE AND DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE RELEASE. SINCE THE EXPENSE OF THE WORK RELATED TO RELEASE COULD POSSIBLY EXCEED $50,000.00 AN NRC REPORT WAS SUBMITTED (NRC #1299916 & 1300096). UPON EXCAVATION, A CRACK IN THE TREADED AREA OF A 1/2"" PIPE NIPPLE WAS DISCOVERED TO BE THE CAUSE OF THE LEAK. THIS 1/2"" LINE WAS TO PROVIDE A PATH FOR BODY BLEED GAS TO GET FROM THE VALVE BODY BLEED PORT (LOCATED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE GATE VALVE) TO ABOVE GRADE.
About This Pipeline Incident
Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.